MARBURY, Md. – GEICO anglers Christiana Bradley and Teddy Carr didn’t have much luck in Saturday’s Bassmaster Weekend Series bass fishing tournament on the Potomac River.
Fishing in the opener of Division 21 (Maryland) of the Weekend Series, Bradley placed 57th and Carr 64th out of 119 anglers who launched Saturday.
Both anglers faced different obstacles on the Potomac, as Bradley was unlucky with a late start, while Carr couldn’t get the breaks of active bass.
Bradley nabbed five fish weighing 14.27 pounds as her GEICO BassCat was one of the last boats to take to the water.
"By the time I got on the water, all these guys were on the spots," Bradley said. "I knew that going in, so I tried to find some more areas that were less obvious, like places without grass or some shellbeds and things like that. I did find a few spots like that."
Bradley did well right after launching, but then struggled to find fish before moving to different areas. With no other choice but to move, Bradley managed to stay in the mix.
"There was a lot of pressure, a lot of other boats in the areas where I found fish," Bradley said. "Being boat 116 makes it tough to get on a good spot first. This time of year, that’s what it’s about on that river. There are certain areas that have good grass, and all the boats congregate in those areas because that’s where the fish are."
Carr also struggled with getting position with other boats, as anglers vied for the best fishing spots.
"I was on 'em. I just could not get the big bites," Carr said. "I caught one that was almost five pounds, but like I said before the tournament, it was going to take five big ones to win, not just one or two big ones."
Carr landed five bass weighing 13.84 pounds, with a big fish of 4.76 pounds. Winner Richard Lee Allen, fishing the same grassy areas as Carr, caught 22.67 pounds.
"I made good decisions. The bites were just so random," Carr said. "The heat has kind of scattered them, and you just had to hunt them down. I just could not get the big bites. All the bites I got, I capitalized on. I executed well and made good decisions. Just one of those deals."
Bites came in spurts, Carr said, mostly because of the pressure out on the fish from so many anglers.
Still, Carr was encouraged by his performance heading into the second Bassmaster Southern Open, held April 5-7 on Lake Norman in North Carolina.
"After Santee and Florida, at least I felt better to where I was doing the right things," Carr said. "I just didn’t get enough big bites. It was definitely a slugfest. There were a lot of fish caught.
"We’re off to Lake Norman, and I go in there feeling a little bit better. I made good decisions and executed well today. I like being able to take that to Norman with me."
Bradley won’t have to wait long to fish competitively, as she is entered in the Lake Anna/Potomac River Bass Series event Sunday from Leesylvania State Park in Virginia. That tournament, as part of the Sunday Division of the Potomac River Series, will be contested on the same water as Saturday’s Weekend Series event.
"My husband went out today to try to find some other areas," Bradley said. "Of course, we couldn’t compare notes throughout the day, but he did find a little something. Hopefully, what he found will produce some better results tomorrow."